Beneath the Mask
by She Knows Best
Summary: After a fight for Jump City, Starfire sits on the roof of the Tower and finally asks the question: What is Robin hiding beneath his eye mask?


Alright, so I've been _really _distracted lately with school and all that jazz, so I haven't had the chance to work on _Here With You_. I wrote this awhile ago and decided to put it up as an "I'm sorry for taking so long with the updates I promise I'll update soon," piece. Of course, it doesn't hurt that I've been staring at it on my computer for ages... Anyway, it's my first RobStar, so I'd really appreciate the feedback. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: If I owned Teen Titans I wouldn't have to worry about college, or the annoying guys down the hall who think that they can play their guitars at full blast on their amps when they're staying in a _dormitory_. UGH!

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**Beneath the Mask**

Starfire stood on the roof, staring at the well lit sky before her. Whenever she needed to think, she came here. The thought of her being so small in comparison to everything else in this world comforted her. Seeing the small, miniature lights made it seem as though her problems weren't really that large.

Jump City had been saved, once again, by its protectors: the Teen Titans. The metropolis sprawled out in front of her gave testimony to the fact that their battlegrounds had been undefined on the streets. There was concrete split down the middle by an angry empath, breaking one of the city's one-way streets into two neatly severed sections. A newly constructed building had just recently been extinguished after a starbolt had come just a smidge too close to it, and it looked like Broadway was going to be closed for the next week or so. That was too bad. It had just recently opened back up after a nasty tiff with Dr. Light. She sighed as she turned her attention back to the sky.

The stars twinkled merrily before her, so free and unlike her current state of mind. What would it be like to be one of them - one of the stars that people admired so much from so far away? On Tamaran, it was believed that when you passed away, you would become one of the many glittering orbs littering the night skies. But the more she thought about it, the more she realized that living as a star up there in the sky would be much too lonely for her tastes. She thrived on companionship. Her brief stint as a lone warrior had been… desolate, to say the least.

She liked it here on Earth. She liked that she was part of a team. It always felt like combining with the other Teen Titans turned them into something bigger than anything they could ever be individually. In battle, they would combine their skills to defeat foes otherwise unstoppable. They would face any enemy head-on, withstanding the constant challenges and threats to their long-term welfare. They would survive because they had each other. No matter what came between them, they would always go back because they were all an intricate part of the same being. They needed each other.

She shivered as she looked back on the day's battle.

Today, she had almost died.

She almost died everyday, but today… it had been different. She hadn't felt her powers flowing through her veins, anymore. She had lost touch with her feeling of anger towards her opponent. She had lost her will to fight, for just a couple of moments. Then, he had stepped in.

It was something that never needed to be said - that they would fight for each other no matter the circumstance. He got between her and the enemy, putting his body in the way of the fight, his Bo staff at ready. He had merely looked over his shoulder and smiled at her, breaking his concentration from the battle long enough to tell her without words, "It's alright. I'm here and you know I'll protect you until you can stand on your own again."

He had saved her, once again. She took a deep breath, feeling the night air flow through her lungs as she hugged herself gently. That was why she was out here. She needed to think.

For as long as the two had known each other, Robin had always been the first to support and believe in her. She had kissed him only once, and then only to learn the English language and get a brief course on the customs of Earth. It was before she had known anything about him. It wasn't satisfying the way she supposed it would be now. It had been a warrior's kiss, and nothing but that. But in that kiss… she had gained something unexpected. She had gained a piece of him. His memories, his fears, his drive, it had all copied itself and funneled into her. When he was upset, she could sense it, and she had a feeling that he could sense her distress as well.

Now, she found herself wanting to try that again, see if kissing him would be any different now that she had these… feelings in her. She couldn't say what they were or why they wrecked such havoc on her usually jovial mood. She just knew that whenever she was with him, making him happy became one of her main priorities. She would work as much as needed to impress him. And the tingling feeling she got in the pit of her stomach…

Maybe it was just an after affect of living on Earth for so long. She was sure that every human had experienced the tightness in one's throat in the company of another. But she never felt this way around Cyborg, Beast Boy or Raven. Perhaps they were just too familiar for her? No… but Robin was even more constant than the others.

She could picture him in her mind, his red, green, black and yellow uniform fitting him well, close to his body for easier movement during combat. The yellow "R" on his chest hinted unnecessarily at the name of the leader of the Teen Titans, his black mask adequately covering the eyes that she had often dreamt about. She didn't even know what color they were, yet she found herself staring dreamily at the sky and wondering what she would find if she ever had the chance to take off that mask. Would he have deep sea green eyes? Or perhaps eyes of the brightest blue, like the sky on a clear day. Or maybe they would be gray, like the metal in Cyborg's garage, yet somehow darker. She didn't doubt that even his most innocent look would hold its secrets. It would be like wearing the mask without actually having one on. She couldn't imagine him unguarded.

"Hey," a voice drifted up from behind her. She turned to find Robin leaning against the door that connected the roof to the rest of the Tower. It spooked her a little, to see him in the middle of her little fantasy. He looked calm, but then, he always looked calm, much in the way, she supposed, that she always looked happy. She smiled at him.

"Friend Robin, why are you on the top of the Tower at this time?" She asked, still smiling brightly. It seemed strange, with her thoughts, to be smiling as she was, but she let herself do it, afraid that the lack of a smile would expose her recent thoughts to the Boy Wonder. He walked forward, looking over the city much as she had a few moments before.

"I just needed to get somewhere to think. I needed the night air," he answered. Starfire's smile faltered a little.

"I'll leave you with your thoughts, then." She said softly as she stared to leave.

"You don't have to," he said once she got past him. She turned to look at him over her shoulder, but he was still staring at the city. "I wouldn't mind having someone to talk to."

"You… you are worrying for the city, then?" She asked, cautiously moving back beside him. He was silent for a moment before he turned to look at her.

"I'm not sure. Lately, I've felt really helpless," he turned to look at the city once more, "I keep thinking, was there any way I could've stopped this? Was there any way that I could've caused less damage?"

"Frie… Robin," he looked back to her at the sound of his name, alone and unadorned, "we work to protect the city. We cannot help it if there is damage done in the process, but we cause the smaller amount of harm. If we do not do what we do, there would be much more destruction done by the Glorknobs we fight on the basis of everyday."

Robin smiled faintly, "I'm sure that the… Glorknobs… would be much more damaging than we are."

They were silent for a moment, smiling gently at each other.

"Robin… may I ask you a question?" Starfire asked, her face turning serious.

"Sure," he answered, still smiling slightly.

"Why is it that you are always covering your face with protective headgear. I do not understand the purpose of this… mask." She said softly, reaching out for a moment to touch the object she spoke of before realizing what she was doing. She pulled her hand back, blushing fiercely. He was quiet for a moment.

"I don't really know. I guess it just makes me feel… less vulnerable." He answered, standing awkwardly in front of her.

"I am confused. Why do you need to feel like you are less vulnerable around me?" Her brows furrowed softly. He looked at the ground, kicking at it lightly with his boot.

"I don't know. I don't need to feel less vulnerable around you, I guess."

"Then, may I request something?" She asked. He nodded slightly. "May I see what you look like without the mask attached to your head?"

He looked up at her, silent for a few seconds, before nodding again. She raised her hands and hesitantly took off the safeguard he wore. She stared at him for a moment and he started to blush, uncomfortable under the intensity of her gaze.

"I…" he started.

"You have the most beautiful eyes," Starfire said absently, as though in a daze. Chocolate. It had never crossed her mind that he may have brown eyes, but he had the most magnificent brown eyes she had ever seen. They seemed to deepen in color the longer she looked at him. They transfixed her, now easily the color of warm, black coffee. He stared at her, suddenly feeling very nervous.

How long had he been attracted to her? Probably from the first day they had met. She had the spirit of a warrior and a history to match, but she put that all aside in hopes of bringing happiness to the people she had grown to love on Earth. She had left her home planet as a prize and managed to escape of her own wit and strength. She had managed to fend off the Titans before they had fully formed, until he had gotten the clue and tried to talk to her. Then… she had… kissed him. He blushed even brighter.

Maybe it was then, when they had kissed, that he had first felt that spark of attraction for her. Before that, he had been somewhat annoyed, and after he had learned her story, he had been somewhat awestruck.

Starfire gently stroked his cheek. She could feel his warmth in a way no one else could. It was that strange connection she had with him, all originating from that first emotionless kiss.

"Your hands are cold," Robin said softly as he took off his cloak and gently draped it over the shoulders of his comrade.

"Thank you." She said simply, still staring at him. He smelled so wonderful, and it carried over to his cape. It was a mix of his hair gel, an aftershave and some distinct male scent that could only belong to him.

_How long must we act like this?_ Starfire wondered silently. _I care very much for him, but I am not sure that he returns my affection. I know that I cannot wait much longer like this. I worry about him in battle far too much. Maybe I should just let him know how I am feeling… Is it not customary on Earth to do as much?_

"Robin… I…" Starfire leaned closer into the warmth she knew he possessed. He instinctively moved forward, letting her get close to him. She stared up at him, feeling nervous in a way that she had never felt before. Their breath came out in little puffs, both forming clouds of fog before them before gently drifting away.

"Star…"

They were getting closer. Robin felt his breath hitch up a notch. He cautiously placed a hand on Starfire's lower back. His hand was warm between her body and his cape. He paused as he heard her quick intake of breath and looked down at her. Her eyes had closed somewhat as she stared at him, giving her face a rather dreamy, blossoming look. She awkwardly placed a hand on his shoulder, unsure of the procedure Earthlings followed in the given situation.

"Robin, are we going to do the ki-"

"Yo, what're you guys doing up here?" Beast Boy asked as he pranced onto the roof. Robin and Starfire immediately jumped apart, suddenly aware of their setting. Beast Boy looked suspiciously between the two of them. "Um… did I miss something?"

"No," Robin answered quickly, turning away from the green man and hurriedly slipping his mask back on. "I was just about to go inside."

"Oh, sorry man. You can stay out here if you want, I can just go back inside." Beast Boy said as he started to tip-toe backwards. Robin shook his head.

"No, don't worry about it." He answered as he made his way back into the Tower. Starfire stared after him. Beast Boy shrugged, tuning back to Starfire.

"Guess it's just us then."

"I believe that it would be best if I retreated inside of the doors as well." Starfire said, floating past him and back into the Tower. He stared at the door the two had gone through, then discreetly sniffed at his armpits. No, he didn't smell… He cupped his hand by his mouth and checked his breath. Nope, unusually fresh. But his teammates had gone inside anyway at the mere sight of him.

"What'd I do?"

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Ta da! All questions, comments, criticisms, etc are welcomed. Just hit "Go" :).


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